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Direnni Hegemony
The Direnni Hegemony was the early Elven kingdom established within the traditional region of High Rock in 1E 355. The Hegemony gained its namesake due to the massive significance of the ruling Direnni Clan, in which controlled the Hegemony throughout its entire duration from their great stronghold on the Isle of Balfiera known as Direnni Tower. The Hegemony would collapse in the year 1E 498 with the rapid ascendancy of the Breton population.Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: High Rock Background The Direnni Hegemony's authority was for the most part decentralized, with its sworn vassals given a significant amount of autonomy. Feudalistic social castes were widespread throughout the Hegemony, with this method of organization being heavily reflected later on through the ruling families of Breton society.Crafting Motif 5: Breton Style Contrary to earlier beliefs, the Elves of High Rock did not outright enslave the humans of the lands they dominated. Rather, Nedic peoples found within their lands were made subject to the Elven aristocracy and were placed in the lowest levels of the Hegemony's social hierarchy. The low societal standing held by humans saw to it that many of them were forced into servitude, working for their Elven overlords. Due to the Direnni's unorthodox liberal attitude towards fornication with humans, many Elven lords would compete to collect the most attractive human concubines. Laws were eventually established that gave the Elven nobility permission to mate with any human they desired, contributing heavily to the creation of the Breton race.The Bretons: Mongrels or Paragons? History While some sources state that the Direnni's rise to power began with Ryain Direnni, who, in the early fifth century of the First Era, was said to have bought Balfiera and conquered High Rock. The Direnni's influence in the area is in fact much older, finding its earliest roots back in the middle Merethic Era when Cygnus Direnni discovered the Adamantine Tower and claimed it for her clan. Since then, the Direnni Clan would become the most prominent noble family within the region. Certain sources seem to imply the Direnni may have conquered the Nedes of High Rock prior to their settlement of Balfiera, however these may be in reference towards Elves in general.Before the Ages of Man Despite the clan's long history, the Direnni Hegemony itself was not formed until much later. It was only in the year 1E 355 that Clan Direnni managed to consolidate all the other Elven noble families under their rulership through questionable political maneuvers.The Daggerfall Chronicles: Tamriel's Timeline For years the Elves of High Rock were a large enough economic and military power to hold back the Nords of Skyrim and the Alessian Empire in Cyrodiil. The Elven holdings remained safe from foreign incursion until the conquests of High King Vrage in 1E 240, which led to the annexation of almost the entire region into the Nordic Empire.Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: Skyrim However, around the year 1E 358, only three years after the Elves of High Rock united under the leadership of the Direnni Bloodline, the Hegemony began to push back against the invading Nordic forces in the Western Reach. This effort was miraculously achieved even while the Nords received committed military aid from the Alessian Empire.[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/forum-archives-others Others: Pete Hines, Christiane Meister, Shane Liesegang, and unknown] In the year 1E 369, the unexpected death of High King Borgas and its subsequent succession crisis erupted Skyrim into the bloody War of Succession, making the Nordic Empire incapable of defending its outlying territories. With the entirety of Skyrim at war with itself, the First Empire of the Nords began to collapse. The Direnni took advantage of this opportune moment and began further reclaiming Elven territories that had been lost to the Nords decades ago. By the year 1E 401, the Hegemony had completely removed all Nordic influence from High Rock. With its neighboring lands still in turmoil, the Direnni Hegemony began its own conquest, seizing large portions of Skyrim and Hammerfell, stretching as far as Markarth and Elinhir.Once Conflicts with Skyrim would continue long after the War of Succession, with the Direnni Hegemony facing off with the armies of Hoag Merkiller sometime in between the years 1E 461 and 1E 477. In the year 1E 477, the Hegemony reached the height of its power, then spanning a fourth of the entire continent. The Direnni Hegemony had greatly benefited from the mass displacement of Ayleids into their territories, fleeing the growing influence of the anti-elven Alessian Doctrines. The Ayleids who began leaving Cyrodiil for Direnni lands as early as 1E 361, would come to dramatically bolster the Direnni's military power perhaps even allowing for the Direnni's coinciding expansion.The Last King of the Ayleids In 1E 478, the Alessian Empire suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Rislav Larich's widespread Colovian revolt. Ryain Direnni, the presiding head of the Direnni Hegemony, saw the defeat as a sign of weakness in the Empire, and took the opportunity to outlaw the Alessian Reform, which had taken root within the Breton population. The emboldened Ryain even began launching assaults on Alessian controlled territories.Rislav The RighteousA Life of Strife and Struggle The Alessian Empire responded to the Direnni aggression with an all out invasion of the Hegemony,Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: Cyrodiil eventually culminating in 1E 482 at the Battle of Glenumbria Moors, where Hoag Merkiller set aside his hatred for the Elves to help defeat the Alessians, resulting in a crushing defeat for the Alessian Order. Though the Hegemony was victorious in its war against the Alessian Empire, the battle was so costly that the Direnni could no longer keep the vast reaches of their kingdom in check.Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: High Rock Ysmir Wulfharth began reconquering the lands of Skyrim that had been lost to the Hegemony in previous wars,Wulfharth's plaque in Windhelm (Skyrim) and within two decades, Breton nobility began seizing power all across High Rock. In the year 1E 498, the Direnni Hegemony collapsed, with Elven sovereignty diminished to the Isle of Balfiera and a few heavily fortified bastions in the Western Reach. These Elven holdouts in the Western Reach would eventually fall during a bloody uprising of the native Reachmen population, leaving only Balfiera under Direnni control.Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: High Rock It is generally accepted that the Bretons rose to prominence in High Rock through a great widespread rebellion against their Elven masters around 1E 500, when the Hegemony was in decline.[https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/646/kw/ How long ago was it that the High Elves were pushed back out of Hammerfell and High Rock? ― ESO Support] However, others claim that this event was much less a rebellion and more so a natural process brought about by the waning Direnni power over and already severely over-extended territory. From this historical view, in order to justify their claims to their holdings, the Breton populace began severely vilifying their former masters, causing the Direnni Clan of Balfiera to isolate themselves from the rest of High Rock. The Breton defamation of the Direnni may have led to the creation of myths that the Bretons, rather than gradually take the land from the Direnni, resisted their rulers through rebellion. By the time the Ra Gada arrived in 1E 808, Clan Direnni had already fully retreated to their Island holdout of Balfiera. In 1E 907 The Redguards attempted to invade the isle, but failed due to the Direnni's superior magical abilities. fr:Hégémonie Direnni ru:Гегемония Диренни Category:Aldmer Category:Lore: Factions Category:Culture of High Rock